Vest pocket flashlight



Nov. 7, 1950 A. MITCHELL 2,528,701

VEST POCKET FLASHLIGHT Filed Sept. 11, 1945 \NVENTOR 41/0057 MITCHELL ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1950 VEST POCKET FLASHLIGHT August Mitchell, Waterbury, Conn assignor to Cresale Incorporated, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application September 11, 1945, Serial No. 615,610

Claims.

This invention relates to portable lamps, and more particularly to a vest pocket electric flashlight adapted to be held in the hand during use.

One object of the present invention is to provide a vest pocket flashlight of the above nature having a casing and cap constructed of insulating material, and in which there are only two metal parts besides the lamp bulb and dry cells.

A further object is to provide a flashlight of the above nature having a pair of longitudinally arranged batteries which are joined together by a base connector having a pair of resilient fin gers for engaging the bottom terminals of said batteries.

A further object is to provide a flashlight of the above nature having an upper transverse switch plate engaging the upper terminal of one of said batteries and having an upstanding lug adapted to be shifted into and out of contact with the inner center contact of a horizontal lamp bulb, the shell contact of which engages the upper terminal of the other battery.

A further object is to provide a flashlight of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, having the minimum quantity of metal, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, in which all the parts will be detachable and conveniently accessible for replacement and inspection, quickly and easily taken apart, and very eificient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 represents a full-sized side view in elevation of the improved flashlight.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same, on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly, and with the switch shown in opencircuit position.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, in which the switch is shown in closedcircuit position.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the bottom of the casing, taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly, and showing the construction of the resilient bottom connector strip.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the switch plate.

Referring now to the drawing, in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts 2 throughout the several views, the numeral Ill indicates a casing of insulating material, such as plastic, substantially elliptical in shape, with flat sides, and having a top cap II alsofof insulating material detachably mounted upon the upper end thereof. The top cap H is provided on both sides with reduced-thickness lower rims I2, l2 having a pair of inwardly-extending lugs l3, l4 adapted for snap-lock engagement in a pair of opposed curved recesses l5, [6 located on the top of the casing It. By means of this construction, the cap will be retained in detachable engagement with the top of the casing, as long as desired.

The interior of the casing is provided with a pair of elongated vertical side ribs ll, [8, extending the full length of said casing and serving to position a bottom elliptical connector strip I9 having semi-circular ends 29, 2| loosely fitted within the casing ID. The connector strip I9 is provided with a pair of opposed side notches 22, 23 which are adapted to fit slidably over the ribs ll, [8, and said strip I 9 has a pair of opposed upwardly-inclined spring fingers 24, 25 which are adapted to have resilient contact with the bottom terminals of a pair of parallel dry cell batteries 30, 3|.

The top cap II is provided with a central vertical partition 26 which extends part way toward the bottom of said cap and has a slot 21 open: ing into the lower end thereof, for a purpose to be described later. The opposite ends of the cap II are provided with a circular aperture 28 and a horizontal slot 29, respectively.

The dry cell batteries 30, 3! are provided at one end with the usual center contacts-32, 33, and are arranged in reversed relationship with the center contact 32 of the battery 30 at the top, and the center contact 330i the other bat tery 3| at the bottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

A lamp bulb indicated by the numeral 34 is located in a horizontal position with an outer light-emitting glass tip 35 seated in the aperture 28 of the cap II and with its shell contact 36 engaging the upper terminal 32 of the battery 30. The center base contact 37 of the bulb 34 is seated in the slot 27 of the partition 23. I

Provision is also made of a horizontal one-piece metallic switch plate 38, substantially semi-circular in shape, and provided with an integral knurled handle 39, projecting outwardly through the slot 29 in the cap I l. The central portion of the plate 38 abuts against the upper terminal of the battery 3|.

The switch contact is provided with a sector- 3 shaped recess 40, upstanding from the edge of which is a contact lug 4| adapted to be swung into engagement with the end terminal '31 of the lamp bulb 34, as shown in Fig. 4.

Operation In operation, the base connector member l9 will first be slid into the bottom of the casing H] with the notches 22, 23 embracing the side ribs l1, I8 of said casing. The batteries 30, 3| will then be inserted and the assembled cap I l placed in position. When the cap ll is closed, the spring fingers 24,25 will exert an upward pressure against the reversed batteries 30, 3|, as shown, and will connect said batteries and the lamp bulb in a series circuit.

When the handle 39 of the switch is actuated in its slot 29, to swing the switch plate 38 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, the upstanding contact 4| will move into engagement with the end contact 3'! of the bulb 34 and will close the electric circuit, and cause the lamp bulb 34 to light up.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a flashlight comprising a lamp bulb having an end contact, an electric cell having an end terminal, and a container having means for supporting said bulb and cell in ofifset relation to each other, a switch plate having concentric arcuate edge portions, a handle, and an eccentric lug, said container including an internal arcuate shoulder in engagement with said arcuate edge portions to hold a central portion of said switch plate rotatably against said cell terminal, and said bulb contact being disposed in the path of said eccentric lug as said switch plate is rotated.

2. In a flashlight, an open-topped casing holding a pair of electric cells with their upper ends at the top of the casing, a lamp bulb, a switch plate including means adapted to contact the bulb, and a hollow end cap removably secured on the open top of the casing, said cap comprising means to hold said bulb against the upper end of one cell, and means to hold said switch plate rotatably against the upper edge of said casing and against the upper end of the other cell, said lamp bulb being disposed in the path of said contact means as said switch plate is rotated whereby said bulb and plate, and said cells, respectively, retain each other snugly in place in said cap and said casing, respectively, and said contact means may be moved to contact said bulb.

3. In a flashlight, a battery casing having a semi-circular edge portion lying in a single plane, an end cap telescopically fitted upon said casing and having therein an arcuate internal shoulder in a plane parallel to the plane of said edge portion, 'a switch plate having arcuate edge portions rotatably confined between said edge portion of the casing and the internal shoulder of the cap, said switch plate being provided with an eccentric contact lug and a peripheral handle projecting through a slot in the cap adjacent said internal shoulder, and means releasably retaining the end cap upon the casing.

4. In a vest pocket flashlight, an elongated casing having an open top and semi-circular ends and flat sides disposed parallel to and symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the casing, a pair of reversed dry batteries located in said casing in vertical side-by-side relation, a hollow cap secured to the open top of said casing, said cap having an apertured end wall substantially in alignment with one of said semi-circular ends and also having a transverse partition spaced from said apertured end wall, said partition being provided with a central slot extending upwardly from the edge of said partition, a lamp bulb comprising a light-emitting glass end portion disposed in said aperture, an intermediate shell terminal in engagement with the upper terminal of one of said batteries, and a center base terminal projecting through the slot of said partition at the opposite end of said bulb, a one-piece manually-operated transverse rockable switch plate disposed at the opposite side of said slotted partition from said lamp bulb, the central portion of said switch plate engaging the upper terminal of the other of said batteries, said switch plate having an upstanding lug for detachable engagement with the base terminal of said lamp bulb. I

5. In a vest pocket flashlight, an elongated casing having an open top, a pair of parallel reversely arranged dry batteries located in said casing and electrically connected together at their bottom ends, a hollow cover cap detachably fitted over the top of said casing, a lamp bulb d-etachably carried in a transverse position in said cap with its light-emitting end extending through the end of said cap with its shell ter' minal engaging the upper terminal of one of said batteries and having its base terminal extending beyond the center of said cap, and a rockable transverse switch plate engaging the upper terminal of the other battery and having an upstanding contact lug for detachable engagement with the base terminal of said bulb, said plate having an operating handle extending outside the opposite end of said cover from said lightemitting end.

' AUGUST MITCHELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,006,175 Osborn June 25, 1935 2,041,843 Lifschitz May 26, 1936 2,329,063 Lockwood Sept. '7, 1943 2,387,144 Gey Oct. 16, 1945 2,412,313 Battersby et al Dec. 10,1946

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 362,547 Germany Oct. 28, 1922 819,011 France June 28, I937 

